Dad’s Say They Would Pass on Paternity Leave

<p><strong>Melville, N.Y. &mdash; June 11</strong><br />More than half of working dads (59 percent) would not take paternity leave if it were offered, according to the latest Workplace Insights survey by Adecco USA.</p><p>Among those who would not take paternity leave, reasons cited include fear it would harm their career (31 percent), being too busy at work to be away for an extended period (28 percent) and being depended on too much by co-workers and clients (28 percent). </p><p>The top reason: 46 percent say they&rsquo;re unable to afford paternity leave even if it did pay partial salary (which is rare in the United States).<br /><br />Some key findings include:</p><ul><li><strong>Battle for Balance: </strong>Compared with working moms, do working dads struggle less with work-life balance? Half (50 percent) of working moms seem to think so, compared with 29 percent of working dads.<br /></li><li><strong>Family First?: </strong>A quarter (25 percent) of working dads say they usually dedicate more time to their work life, and 11 percent of working moms claim the same.<br /></li><li><strong>Fatherhood Fears:</strong> Some dads who wouldn&rsquo;t take paternity leave say that they don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;d do a good job caring for the baby (12 percent) or that they don&rsquo;t have the patience to spend that much time with the baby (8 percent). </li></ul><p>&ldquo;Even if some companies are offering paternity leave, it has yet to become a society standard,&rdquo; said Bernadette Kenny, Adecco USA chief career officer. &ldquo;Our survey found that 70 percent of dads think that being a father also makes them a better employee. But fathers probably face more pressure to stay on the job more than mothers do when a baby comes along.&nbsp; </p><p>&quot;Now, it&rsquo;s the employers&rsquo; turn to do a better job of implementing benefits and policies that allow for dads to achieve sustainable work-life balance.&rdquo;<br /><br />Seventy-two percent of dads named the ability to work flexible hours as one of the most appealing benefits. </p><p>Here are some tips on how companies can help dads achieve balance:</p><ul><li><strong>Talk to Your New Dads. </strong>Make sure your employee knows you understand, appreciate and will accommodate their additional family responsibilities. Work with dads to negotiate a working environment that best suits their personal and professional needs.&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Focus on Fathers. </strong>Although typically thought of as maternal benefits, telecommuting and flex time allows for new dads to maintain their roles as productive employees. This is significant for companies that want to preserve employee satisfaction and retention.&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Make Policies Conventional. </strong>A new dad&rsquo;s struggle to balance work and family can be avoided by making paternal benefits known companywide so they become part of the norm. Once it&rsquo;s accepted, dads might be less likely to feel uncomfortable taking advantage of these benefits.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></li></ul>